We are just 24 hours or so from crowning our final men’s Grand Slam singles winner of the season. The last two men standing are familiar faces and familiar foes, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. It is and has been the best rivalry in men’s tennis and it’s a fitting conclusion that marks the end of 2011 Grand Slam season.

Before I look ahead, let’s look back to a crazy day of tennis Saturday.

Almost improbably, Djokovic ripped the heart out of Roger Federer once again. Last year the Serb saved two matchpoints to stun the favored Federer. Yesterday, up two sets and cruising it looked like Federer would get his revenge. But credit to the Serb who despite not playing at his highest level came back for the second time in his career from two sets down to steal the win.

After a poor start, Novak moved into the court more, became more aggressive and seized control of the match early in the third as Federer began to fade.

In the fifth, Federer actually pulled ahead late, finding himself in prime position to seal the serving 5-3, 40-15. And that’s when the bottom fell out. Djokovic cracked a return winner which ignited a brisk four game run sending the Serb into his second straight US Open final.

For Federer, sure he was close again but it’s another devastating, heart-breaking loss. Roger fell apart to Tsonga at Wimbledon and for the second straight slam it happened again. That’s a trend, a bad one at that. And I hate to say it but it’s a further sign of a mental deterioration for the now 30-year-old.

Maybe Fed gets back on top, maybe he doesn’t. He’ll need some soul searching after this one because this one is going to sting.

In the second semifinal Nadal rose up like champions do and punked Murray. As long as Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are around it’s tough seeing Murray ever getting that elusive Slam title. Mentally and tactically he just doesn’t seem to have it right now in a best-of-5 format.

And you have to admire Nadal. Despite all that’s gone on with him this summer he’s still out there taking on all challengers and battling like it’s life and death every match. You have to tip your cap to him.

As for Monday…

Novak Djokovic v. Rafael Nadal
I picked Djokovic right from the start and despite what I wrote about Nadal above and his record in finals I’m staying with Novak.

The summer and the season seems setup for him to wrap up New York with a storybook finish.

Djokovic had questions about his shoulder but has answered them. I had questions about fitness but Saturday he showed he can win a long a match.

And now, thanks to a schedule revision, he’ll have an extra and much-needed day off to prepare for Nadal.

In their rivalry, Rafa leads 16-12 but most importantly Djokovic has won five straight, all this year and all in big match finals.

Novak beat Nadal twice on hardcourts earlier in the year at Indian Wells and then at Miami. On clay, it was the same story as Novak got the better of Rafa on the Spaniard’s favored surface.

The rivalry shifted to grass and Djokovic was again the better man snatching his first career Wimbledon title in July.

Now it’s New York.

Nadal’s biggest problem against Djokovic is between the ears. Rafa has admitted that mentally there is a block against Novak. To beat someone on a high as Djokovic, you have to believe. There can be no doubt.

Assuming Rafa has solved that issue, he’ll still have to deal with Djokovic, who moves better, serves better, plays defense better and hits his backhand better than Nadal.

Rafa still has the forehand and the experience. He’ll also have the crowd. But Nadal will have to serve well because for me, Djokovic can really punish Nadal’s second serve

In the end, I think Novak’s just destined to win this title. He got two retirements en route, he hit a “snap” return down matchpoint to Federer which dropped in. He got a day off before Nadal. It’s all set up and with his incredible season I think he follows through.

One correction; Djokovic didn’t start slow against Roger. He actually played marginally better in the first set (like, he got to 30 and even deuce a couple of times on Roger’s serve), but they were both just serving incredibly well. The main thing that changed was Roger started to get tired and Nole pounced on it at the start of the third set, putting in an extra effort to get up 3-0. I don’t think his own level changed that much over all five sets, otherwise, it was just Roger ‘went away’ in the fourth set and then of course after losing his double mp (ugh).

And as for the final. My head says you are right that Djoko walks off with the title, and that’s probably what’ll happen. But my gut tells me Rafa is going to end up on top after 4 or 5 close sets.

I will say it again. Ultimate irony if Nadal is to defend his first non clay title in the US Open, fastest Slam. That would just be bizarre. And if so, Djokovic would have lost 3 times in New York. How can he be the best hard court player than Nadal if he can’t win an US Open title?!

The reason why Novak clapped the frame of racket is because Roger hit the ball with the frame and won the point and did not apologize. On top of it he got huge applause from the crowd. Who is jerk now?

This should definitely be an engrossing battle with the edge to Djokovic. I would put it as 60:40 in favour of Djokovic. But you can never discount Nadal who is playing very well and in form. On the other hand you have Djokovic who is not playing at his very best. Still the edge goes to him because there is every probability that his game will pick up in the final. Finally, who serves well has an edge in the match and mentally Djokovic sees strong than Nadal. This may seem odd, but it is true.

This should definitely be an engrossing battle with the edge to Djokovic. I would put it as 60:40 in favour of Djokovic. But you can never discount Nadal who is playing very well and in form. On the other hand you have Djokovic who is not playing at his very best. Still the edge goes to him because there is every probability that his game will pick up in the final. Finally, who serves well has an edge in the match and mentally Djokovic sees strong than Nadal. This may seem odd, but it is true.

Everything resumes to this: “How can you play a shot like that on match point”. This show his mental state exactly like the article Gannu post says, he wants the opponent to surrender. But I don’t blame him, whoeever plays tennis, knows that your mind just collapse when the opponent hit a ball like that in a crucial point, How the hell did he do that?! This just mess you up. But of course, being a champion of his caliber, he should have found his inner fighter and hit an ace. That would shut that ball and nobody would even talk about it this much!

Nadal is not serving good at all. HE is not hitting the lines and the aces he wants when he tries to. And he is playing short, way to short and not as half of his backhand from last year US Open. I don’t think he stands a chance, unless he play the best match of his life. But he will have to miraculously found a serve and a super aggressive flat backhand.

No correction. Stop using statistics to try to prove points instead of actually watching the match. Djokovic was completely passive in the first set – he said as much later – letting Federer dictate almost every point. For some reason, Djokovic has played more like Andy Murray than himself from the fourth round on until he senses he’s in real trouble Even then, he’s not playing as cleanly as he did for most of the year.

I fully expect him to raise his level against Nadal because he’ll need to. Djokovic beats Nadal because he gets ahead on the first shot of almost every point, either getting a weak return from Rafa or hitting a fantastic return that induces a short ball. If he does not do that, he will be in trouble.

Djoko entered Wimby with way worse form and without a match like he just won. Together with the 5 victories he has, he is not going to let this one slip by. Never thought I will think somebody could have this effect on Nadal.
We are just in safe mode, not wanting to admit it, get attached to Nadal mantra that he never gives ip, will be a battle and stuff. The match is totally in Djoko’s hand, way more than Fedal, because those ones always are close, until Fed start cracking.

Funches, leaving aside your barb, I stand by what I said. I don’t feel that Djokovic improved his level much, overall. As I said, he “pounced” at the start of the third set and his sudden burst of energy and focus netted him a 3-0 lead in the set. That discomfited Federer, and you know the rest.

I’m not sure how you can claim that Roger was “dictat[ing] almost every point” when Nole held serve even more easily than Roger did in the first set. To me, honestly, it looked like they were both circling warily, ready to jump in at the first sign of a shoddy service game, but equally happy to rush on the tiebreaker, which they did in short order. The first set was, for a 7-6 set, really short – under an hour, I think, and the breaker was 10 or 15 minutes of that. It was arguably Nole’s bad luck rather than predestined fate or the inexorable force of Roger’s superiority that he didn’t get the first set, but it most certainly was not a question of his letting Rog dictate play.

But for tomorrow, you’re right; if Djokovic plays his best tennis like he has many other times in finals this year, I’m not sure Rafa has any answers to him because Nole doesn’t get worn down and he’s become frighteningly consistent from the baseline this year even when he is playing extremely dangerous tennis (i.e., deep, flat shots; close to the lines; trying to really press the opponent into an error). Nole has elevated the almost purely offensive baselining style to an art form. He’s better from the baseline than Rafa ever was, even on clay. It’s almost completely unbelievable.

Sean, I see that once again your “objectivity” shines through…Roger lost that semi-final rather than Nole winning it. The difference, in my humble opinion, between Rafa and Nole is the UE numbers. In the last 3 matches Rafa made 13,11 and 23 and Djoker made 25, 43 and 35. Rafa is playing with a quiet confidence and I feel that this is his time. He will defend his title in 4.
VAMOOOOOOOS!!!

Sooner or later, that’s what I thought about Roger vs Rafa in RG finals, but every time it was Rafa.

Novak will feast on his flash once again. Federer saved Rafa from losing RG this year, he almost did it here in NY as well. Definitely, Novak matches up with Rafa better than with Roger (RF -> Novak, Novak -> Rafa, Rafa -> RF).

Everything Rafa can do, Novak can do better now + he can do much more. If Novak plays well (not necessarily 100%) and consistent, it will be miracle if he needs to play more than 3 sets.
He outpowered and outblasted Rafa in every single match they played this year.

i would say federer, djokovic = coin flip, nole, against anyone else, huge edge to djokovic. there’s no doubt in my mind if djokovic didnt drop his serve when serving out the 4th set in fo he wouldve taken it in five. If he wins tomorrow it will cement him as a tier above everyone else. Where as in the past, you worry about him if the match goes longer, now he has a better chance of winning if it’s five sets. ridiculous how that changed in one year.

i still find the wimby final hard to believe. as someone who’s never made it to the wimbledon final before he absolutely dominated a two time wimbledon winner. I just dont see a way nadal can beat this djokovic in five on what has become the fastest slam surface tomorrow.

nadal’s topspin is completely neutralized against djokovic. nadal’s serve was deadlier at the open a year ago. djokovic has that day of rest this year. Unless djokovic’s level drops severely, i don’t think with his fitness and mental strength right now he can lose.

I think Nole wins in 4 tight sets. The extra day off to prevent the bottom half of the draw from having to play 4 straight days ended up giving Nole some time to regroup mentally and physically from his 5 set semifinal. Odd.

I too favour nole for. I’d go as far as saying 60/40 in nole’s favour. Rafa serve, whilst it has not been like last year, has actually been quite good this tourny. I think he only lost 2 games against a returner of murray’s quality. Plus rafa has a better return than roger- so that shall help him. Main concern I feel is if rafa keeps on playing the ball midcourt then he shall get punished severely. Rafa needs to serve well, play deep and have a consistent backhand in order to pull it off.

i would like to say good luck to nole and his fans in tonights final,jane,duro,nina,etc,etc,sorry i cannot remember who you all are,ive a feeling though that you wont need it,and good luck to rafa and all of his fans kimberly,brando,myself,sorry guys but i think we are going to need it,also sorry to fed and all his fans,madmax,skeezer,swiss maesto,etc etc again sorry if i missed anyone,but too many to mention anyway, you must be gutted but fear not your man will bounce back,sorry to muzzas fans margot,ike myself again better luck next time,im sure andy will have his day,we just have to be patient,also congrats to our young ollie golding on winning the us open junior championship,been a brit thats definatly cheered me up no end.

with all due respect, you try too hard. i’m sure these posters like you and although you claim to be a nadal fan i’m sure they know you don’t mind if nadal loses to djokovic. you don’t have to run it in the ground. it’s a little irritating!

i know you guys are entitled to your opinion and i respect that but you and some others nadal fans show very little faith in nadal. novak is not unbeatable and i’ve said that many times and i say it again. novak’s game is basically the same as always. he improved his serve but the major improvement is his endurance and overall fitness which has allowed him to relax, move better and rely on his game more knowing that he can last in long matches,if necessary. that’s it! anybody who really knows anything about tennis can recognize it. it is up to nadal to play aggressively and consistently apply the pressure if he does that, he will come out the victor. if not, he will be on the losing end once again. it’s up to him!

again novak is not unbeatable he is being promoted by experts and others as such and other players are buying into the hype. i see no reason, no reason at all why nadal shouldn’t win, if he plays his game and plays it consistently aggressive from first ball to last. that’s my opinion!

mem, perhaps we are negative to deal with a possible disappointment, as we have been disappinted and devastated before! Sure it is a lowball way to deal with it but its quite common in all fans of all players. If you don’t have expectations too high you can’t be let down.

However, I love your positive feelings and I hope Rafa feels the same. Because his mental attitude is most important here. He certainly has the game.

I do agree about Djokovic’s level not having changed that much. Watch the AO08 and you’ll see Djoko was ripping all hell during that open so much everybody was already starting to hail him as the new #1 to be. Hell, I was one of ’em. And then Djoko kind of fell apart during clay season, Nadal had an amazing year winning RG and Wimbly ,and Djoko #1 just didn’t happen.

Now he’s locked on to that 08 form but with extra fitness and mental fortitude to boot. He’s downright scary, but then again, I remember thinking his level of play was frightening in early 08. Maybe he couldn’t deal with the success that came with his first grand slam victory. He wouldn’t be the first great player that’s happened to, look at Sampras. He won his first grand slam at the US Open in 1990 but didn’t begin dominating until 1993.

Still getting over that Federer defeat, but I’m definitely looking forward to tonight’s match. I’ll keep crossing my fingers for a Grand Slam draw where Djoko and Fed actually don’t show up on the same side so I don’t have to watch my #1 fav and #2 fav take each other out in the semis, though. Has that actually happened in a Grand Slam since USO 2007? (I’m honestly asking, I’m curious)

i get your point! people deal with situations differently. i understand that! i just happen to feel pretty good about nadal chances. i’m sure i’m in the minority but i’m very comfortable and familiar with the minority. i don’t mind it.

i understand that most people believe strictly in what they can see, and what most people see in the nadal/djokovic case is one player losing to another player five times in a row. they don’t see beyond that. i think they rationalize that if a player has lost five times to the same player, he will automatically lose a sixth time. that’s their reasoning! it’s understandable! but i see it differently. i see a player (nadal) who has never accepted defeat regardless of how many times he has been defeated by the same player. he keeps coming until the tables turn and when someone has that kind of attitude eventually the tables will turn. nadal is that kind of person, plus no one expected him to get to the final anyway. in fact, he was predicted to lose in the quarters to roddick or semis to murray. so again, he has proven that predictions don’t determine whether he wins or loses.

that said, i don’t have a reason to doubt his chances. without question, novak has had an incredible season but he is not invincible. roger let his chances slip away, monfil had chances, davydenko had chances in montreal, tipsarvic had chances, so contrary to popular belief, he is not invincible and if any player can believe in his chances, it’s nadal. he’s not afraid to face the challenge and one thing is for certain, he won’t back down! that’s all i need to know.

i don’t predict, i prefer to enjoy and see what happens. however, i get a kick out of reading the predictions of others because i know predictions are not guarantees, so they don’t affect me. I’m a firm believer that God is the only one who knows what will happen before it happens; man can only spectulate, predict, etc.

mem sorry if you find my posts iritating,its just giving my honest point of view thats all,it has nothing to do with people liking me,to be honest i dont care whether they do or whether they dont,im just trying to see things from every angle,and thats as a fan of tennis,and not just rafa,and sure nole is beatable and hopefully rafa will find an answer tonight,and like kimberly said love your positive attitude.

mem says: it’s nadal. he’s not afraid to face the challenge and one thing is for certain, he won’t back down! that’s all i need to know.

^^^^^This I agree with 100%, and I do think he will beat Novak again. I’m just not sure its going to be today. In his interview he seems pretty sure he will do it for 2012 but less secure about this final. My take on his comments. With that said, he is Rafael Nadal, a hell of a tennis player, a true champion and I don’t doubt he will try his best. I’m just not sure its doable without a serious plan of attack and he doesn’t sound like he has one. But listen, who knows, thats why we watch. I certainly hope he wins as much as you do!!! Lets hope for the best!

I agree with alison and kimberly- I too enjoy the positivity of your posts. But i stick by what i say as that is how i see it at the moment.

Ultimately no one knows what shall happen, as you mentioned, and all we do here is speculate, predict and then view things from the lense we choose to see things from based on either our own views and/or agenda.

Personally, more than the win all i want to see tonight is rafa playing without fear and intimidation. I felt that in the rome and wimby final he gave nole far too much respect than was necessary. I hope tonight he is mentally strong and plays HIS GAME. If he does the chances of him winning increases and if he doesn’t tonight he shall do so soon enough. Good luck and VAMOS RAFA!!

Nadal needs to serve well, play stingey D/Heart, attack djokers FH with pace, maybe give deep balls to the middle, force Djoko to overhit to get angles – draws UEs and close points at the net.. That’s the method Nadal should do to win. Otherwise it’s gonna be a long day for Nadal and great day for Djoko.

The Nadal-Djokovic match up puts the match on Djokovic’s racket, not Nadal’s. Nadal can do whatever he wants strategy-wise, but it’s going to come down to how well Djokovic plays and executes.

Nadal would have to play almost a perfect match and hope Djokovic is a few levels below his best, which is a possibility, but not exactly a great strategy.

This really looks like it might be another Wimledon. Djokovic didn’t play a great semifinal but got through. Nadal dominated Andy Murray. The big positive for Nadal is that their closest match this year was on a hard court, oddly enough. Nadal could actually benefit from the fast surface because he’ll be able to get more free points on his serve than on clay or (apparently) on grass.

It’ll be an interesting match. Neither guy really has any secret plans that could throw the other off, they’ve played too much for that. I think it’s just going to depend on the day. Djokovic is the heavy, almost too heavy, favorite for the first time in his career heading into a GS final. Will that play a role? The pressure and all that jazz. Whereas Nadal can actually play like he has nothing to lose. He is the real underdog and that should help him big time. Hopefully it’ll be a worthy final.

blah Says:
i still find the wimby final hard to believe. as someone who’s never made it to the wimbledon final before he absolutely dominated a two time wimbledon winner. I just dont see a way nadal can beat this djokovic in five on what has become the fastest slam surface tomorrow.

nadal’s topspin is completely neutralized against djokovic. nadal’s serve was deadlier at the open a year ago. djokovic has that day of rest this year. Unless djokovic’s level drops severely, i don’t think with his fitness and mental strength right now he can lose.

__________________

Perhaps Nadal’s 2 Wimbledon wins were lucky? He is no Federer at Wimbledon with 6 titles.

@jamie what total rubbish about rafas two wimbledon finals been lucky,he dominated berdy from start to finish,he never looked for a minute like loosing that final,fare enough the final in 08 was close and could have gone either way,but everyone said including federer,that rafa was the better player that deserved the win as he played the big points better,sure i agree he is no federer but then again who is,thats right nobody,and i doubt there ever will be.

if you say so! you are free to your opinions, but i couldn’t care any less about who is the favorite. being called the “favorite” doesn’t guarantee one iota of nothing. does being the favorite guarantee a win. if not, why should it mean anything to me?

maybe you already know the results of the match, but i don’t. nadal said something once and it still holds true to this day and forever, “matches are not played on paper; they are played on court and the player has to play the match before he can win it.” we will soon find out how everything will unfold.

like i said, i like nadal’s chances. nonetheless, i applaud your foreknowledge. i have always believed and recognized God as the one and only one who has foreknowledge, but you and some others sound convinced that you also possess it. therefore, i can’t argue with you.

i certainly don’t have the ability to guarantee anything, so i’m in awe of writers like you who can.

if you say so! anyway, if my comments are that powerful to convince you either way, i’m honored, but like i said, i don’t have the ability to know the outcome before the match is played. some people do, but i don’t. as always, i’m supporting nadal and i certainly don’t need a bunch of people to help me believe in his chances. i don’t have a problem with your position either. we will see what happens!

There are 2 things that are clearly not in dispute when one looks at rafa v nole this year:

1- Djokovic is the clear best player this year with only 2 losses. At this moment in time he’s on course for the best tennis season in over 25 years. So clearly nadal is facing a player in exceptional circumstances.
2- Each and everytime rafa has lost to nole, the better player has won on the day. But this player has ONLY LOST TWICE this year, which included a retirement.

HOWEVER, if one looks at the matches more closely and the context in which they individually exist, there is room for hope for rafa.

1: INDIAN WELLS: Coming to this tourny rafa had played doha where he lost to davydenko in the SF. In this tourny, as reported he was affected with fever throughout. Then at AUS OPEN he lost to ferrer in the quarters- we all saw what occured early in the 1st set. Either way not a blistering start to the year for rafa. Nole on the other hand had won AUS OPEN, Doha and was at the peak of his powers heading into IW. At the tourny, rafa did not face a single TOP 30 opponent until the final, where he won the 1st set, but then fell was 3-6, 2-6 to nole. Rather interestingly he did beat nole the next day in an exhibition match in straight sets.

2: Miami: Here rafa gave his best performance against nole. He won the 1st set, was two points away from the win in the 2nd set and took it to the tie breaker in the 3rd. What occured, as roger federer himself said was that rafa played ‘an unusually bad tie breaker’. He lost the match but no way was he dominated off the court.

3: Madrid: Here rafa was at the worst clay tourny for him due to the altitude. AS federer himself said, madrid was ALOT quicker than miami. If one looks at rafa’s record at madrid it includes a loss to federer in 2009. Rafa beat nole in 2009 in the SF when in all honesty he should have lost. Here he got straight setted in the final IMO rather unsurprisingly.

4: ROME: Here rafa nearly lost in round 1 to a player ranked outside the top 100. NOW THAT CLEARLY SHOULD RING ALARM BELLS as to where rafa and his form is. It being clay, he got to the final courtesy of his reputation on clay and a cakewalk of a draw. Had he faced murray in the final IMO i feel rafa would have lost. Instead he faced nole. What occured? Arguably the most bizarre performance by nadal on clay in his carrer IMO. Moonball after moonball, he played in a manner that lacked ideas, confidence and self belief. A player who seemed afraid of his opponent not one who most recognise as THE GREATEST CLAY COURT PLAYER OF ALL TIME.

5: WIMBLEDON: Finally, here again rafa played with fear and intimidation. As most commentators recognised, nadal has never played in such a manner before. Nadal was level on serve in the 1st and 4th set, then produced bizarre unforced errors on his serve deep in those sets. AS HE SAID POST MATCH IT WAS DUE TO FEAR OF HIS OPPONENT AFTER 4 LOSSES.

Apologies for the long post, but clearly as good as nole is, RAFA IS CONTRIBUTING TO HIS OWN LOSSES and if he can cut out the mental block, he shall atleast increase his chances to win.

Mem says above:
“novak’s game is basically the same as always. he improved his serve but the major improvement is his endurance and overall fitness which has allowed him to relax, move better and rely on his game more knowing that he can last in long matches,if necessary. that’s it! anybody who really knows anything about tennis can recognize it.”

“basically”? “the same”? “as always”?
What do these terms mean, both in isolation and as a whole? I am asking these questions because I do not know “anything about tennis” and fail to recognize the “it” here the same way Mem does.

(1) Does Mem mean “basically” to be the basics, fundamentals, not major components or auxiliaries of his game? Or, does she mean not drastic or not overhaul, change in the entirety, like serving with feet? Mem explains in the next sentence: “he improved his serve.”
On the one hand, serve is the most basic of all basics. On the other, Novak did not improve his serve, but restored his lost serve, got over Martin-experimentation.

(2) But where do we draw the line between CHANGE and IMPROVEMENT, considering most improvements are continuity without being the SAME?

Yes, Novak may not have drastically overhauled his game. He may just have improved his fitness, but that is not it.
Novak may not have introduced a new shot to the tennis world, but the volley he employed in the penultimate point of the SW19 final and the forehand that routinely makes sharp angle cuts, which won him the SW19 championship in the 1st instance(if not quite the slap shot that saved the 1st match point yesterday, which can also arguably be PARTLY, in whatever %, attributed to the sharp-angle forehand, which most well-known tennis experts have recognized as the most lethal improvement in Novak’s game). Add to the list his backhand, how reliable it has become for both defense from outside the tramlines and offense to attack the opponent’s BH as well to go for the down-the-line shot almost without notice. He has also improved his return on the rise, though Federer is unsurpassable in this area.

(3) “as always”: Since or before he was born? Since his rise in 2007? Since his 1st grand slam win? Since his 1st title at 2006 Amersfoort? Forget about those time lines, just compare the results, title wise and H2H against the top 5 or top 10, between 2010 and 2011. How else can you objectively assess or quantify improvement?

Granted Novak’s game has not “changed” (it also has not remained “basically the same as always”), does this mean Rafa’s chances have increased? If some believe Novak’s game has not changed, this belief may beget another belief in them that Rafa’s chances have not decreased. I’d take the latter but without the if-condition, which would lead me to conclude that Novak’s overall improvement and the results have increased his confidence. Confidence is that animal that allows him to see the court clearly and co-ordinate the X-Y of mind-body to enhance his accuracy.

Chances aside, I’d like to believe that it will be a fiercely contested, match-of-the-decade final.

i dont know either the outcome…it just that i truly belive that we might see a very domnant djokovic if he playes as he did againts federer in the 3 and 4 set, but then of course if nadal is playing really well at his best, i till thnk djokovi might win. its not that i dont like federer or nadal its just that i really belive that djokovic is much better than they are when they are all 3 at their best.
so for me on hard court, djokovic is the best player then federe and then nadal when they all play their best. but lets see the outcome as you say. as a djokovic fan i have to be humble….

and as a djokovic fan i can afford to be humble because he is the best :-)

the best way to answer your question is to simply say, it’s whatever you want it to mean. i’m sure it’s won’t change your opinion one way or the other. i’m just voicing my opinions and sharing my perceptions. you’re free to do the same.

@i am it,yeah it would be great to have a tight closely contested open and exciting epic final with 5 exciting sets,like wimledon in 08,which was arguably the best final ever,whomever wins the final,and not a washout.

One thing to keep in mind for today. Djokovic’s passage through the draw here has been more laborious than his passage at Wimbledon. But for a Forehand missing by an inch, Janko Tipsarevic would have had Djokovic staring at 2 Sets down before Janko’s body gave out. Dolgopolev’s slicing and dicing brought on a mammoth 28-point Tiebreak the youngster should have actually won, necessitating a 4, maybe 5 set Djokovic rescue. And let’s be honest, Djokovic is lucky to be here in this Final at all. Forget the Winner he torched past Federer at 40-15; it was still Match Point Federer at 40-30. Off the Return, Federer got the shot he wanted: a mid court ball he took as an Off Forehand – the shot his legend is built upon. He pulled the trigger, and found the net. That choke from Federer is something he never recovered from in the match. What’s not in dispute is the Djokovic resolve to steady himself and escape that match. What’s also not in dispute is that the Djokovic trip to this Final has been laced with exactly that: escapes, rather than displays of dominance. He’s 63-2 this year for a reason and he showed it against Federer, though he unquestionably got serious help from Federer to close the deal.

Nadal, conversely, has quietly arrived to this Final losing but 1 set on the way. One thing he’s clearly doing better here than he has in months is Return. Nadal managed to get a lot of the Roddick and Murray First Serves into play, and he scored on a fair number of those points. If anything, Nadal is playing better each round. He’s arriving here at peak, whereas Djokovic might not be.

Let’s remember what The Djokovic Ascent 2011 looks like from Nadal’s point of view. Nadal’s 2010 was a historic achievement: 3 Majors, undisputed #1, and looking like the sky was the limit. Indian Wells Final this year he meets Djokovic, who he basically owned to that point: H2H was 16-7 favor to Nadal, and Djokovic yet to beat Nadal at a Major or in a Final. Nadal serves less than 50% at IW and still forces three sets. Miami was The Death Rattle for Nadal. That four hour slugfest was the way Nadal always used to force the Djokovic submission, through attrition. Nadal had to be stunned that the perpetually retiring Djokovic who’s always been sucking air after 3 hours in any match was now the physically stronger. That’s mind-bending stuff when you make your living beating the same guy on the biggest stages. It was THE Sea Change in the Men’s Game. But it still happened once to that point – more proof was needed and not just for Nadal, but for everyone else on the tour too. After the drubbings on clay – where Nadal ruled – Nadal mentally was even more baffled as to what to do. Wimbledon was the Coup de Grace, where Nadal basically choked in Set 1, serving at 91%, 4-5 30 Love, and the unraveling began. I’d say to that point, the Nadal mentality regarding Djokovic could be distilled down tho this: Nadal went into each of those Finals expecting to win as always, as though he should win. He was defending not just on court, but also in his own head. Nadal was the last one to accept that things had truly changed.

Nadal got a lot of criticism for openly stating Djokovic was psyching him out after Wimbledon. But such an open admission has a crucial benefit: it releases him from any pressure that he “must win” simply because he always had won against Djokovic in the biggest moments before 2011. The crucial difference for Nadal today is that he goes into this Final not with the idea he “should” win – as he had in all of the other five finals he lost to Djokovic. Today he goes in with the idea he “can” win, which he surely can. The difference between “should” and “can” is a huge difference in perspective that takes all the pressure off of him. Nadal is now back to the role of The Hunter, and he’d been there for a long while when Federer ruled Tennis.

The 63-2 Djokovic 2011 says this match is on his racquet, and it would be no surprise if he walks off with title #10 in a Hall of Fame year. That said, an improving, pressure free Nadal isn’t the kind of guy you wanna face if you’re laboring to get through matches against other guys. Should be a good one.

“i understand that most people believe strictly in what they can see, and what most people see in the nadal/djokovic case is one player losing to another player five times in a row. they don’t see beyond that. i think they rationalize that if a player has lost five times to the same player, he will automatically lose a sixth time. that’s their reasoning! it’s understandable!”

You’re speaking of the Gambler’s Fallacy. If a coin is flipped heads in a row five times, it does not make the sixth time more likely to be heads, because a coin flip is exactly 50/50 and down to chance. A tennis match is not a coin flip. The result is not random at all. Luck can play a part, but unless some new development occurs (which there is no indication of) the past five matches are very much an indication of what to expect in the sixth.

This rivalry is looking as one sided as the Federer-Roddick and Federer-Hewitt rivalry beginning 2004. They will eventually get one (it took Roddick more than 10 defeats before he snapped the loss streak, same with Hewitt) as will Nadal over Djokovic, but it won’t be any time soon.

The earliest I can see Nadal getting another win over Novak is next year. He himself did not sound confident about his chances and his goal was to figure out how to beat him, and if he can’t do it here, then to do it next year. He’ll need to regroup and solve this problem during his off season. And who knows, may discover Nole’s secret, or go gluten-free or something.

I’m a Nadal fan, but if I had to bet my house on one of these men, it’s going to be on Nole. In absolutely every aspect of the game he outclasses Nadal. He was always this good, he just didn’t have the endurance to keep it up. Something changed. The rest is history. I remember him fading in the Melbourne heat and retiring to Roddick as defending champion. Somehow I get a feeling that he can handle temperatures even hotter than Melbourne now, and not bat an eyelid.

@jamie—i think your pyshic friend is defective? Wasn’t murray supposed to be in this final? She also insisted Nole would win RG. I think he will likely win today but Fedal will continue to win slams. I hope you are not placing bets on her advice because I think she will lose you a lot of money!

Kimberly Says:
@jamie—i think your pyshic friend is defective? Wasn’t murray supposed to be in this final? She also insisted Nole would win RG. I think he will likely win today but Fedal will continue to win slams. I hope you are not placing bets on her advice because I think she will lose you a lot of money!

____________

I never said anything about the psychic predicting Nole winning RG.. That was my own prediction… She said she saw him winning Wimbledon and the USO. About the USO finalist she wasn’t sure if it would be Murray or Nadal but she was sure Nole would win the USO because his chart is perfect. She does not see Federer winning anymore slams. She sees Nole winning more slams. Nadal and Murray winning a slam in the future as well is what she sees.

WTF, I had this suspicion after our last exchange and now it’s confirmed. You’re an idiot. Why you think that Nole’s superiority is SO absolute that there is “no way” Rafa could beat him until next year (so what’s the difference next year?)?

We’ll see if Rafa can snap his losing streak or if Nole will hammer forehands until he submits. But if you think the outcome is predetermined, what’s the point of talking about anything here anyway.

voicemail 1 thats a great post and a good way of looking at it,rafas always been the one whos happier when coming from behind,the hunter not the hunted,suits him much better,the pressures really on djokovic now,add to the fact rafas already won the us open,the shackles are off rafas feet now anyway.

@jamie what you actally said was that your online pyschic said that nole would win the us open,and he would face either murray or delpotro,not murray or nadal,sounds to me like your not been altogether truethfull.

Hard to predict when I had a different version of the finals in my mind, with Nole and Andy battling it out!!!! Since we now have the Nole-Rafa combo, I hope and pray that Nole wins, but Rafa may be on a revenge mission!!!!! I don’t think he would want to explain to the press another loss from Nole!!!!?????? Anyway, Nole is the man to beat ATM and we all know that, so a Rafa win will significantly contribute to a Rafa stock to go sky high and position himself nicely for 2012!!!!!

Jaime and Valentin are just hillarious!!!!! I love their positive energy when it comes to Nole and I hope their predictions are true and Nole lifts the US Trophy tonight celebrates the title with all the celebraties (Ashton, Pi Diddy, De Niro, and many more)…….

Allison Hudge, do you really believe Jaime’s pshychic stuff????? LOL!!!!!!! Hello!!!!!! There is a difference between fiction and non-fiction!!!! Jaime is refering to non-fiction, based on real facts, with Nole winning the title!!!! Chill girl and enjoy the match!!!!!!

I agree with Brando’s assessment of their matches and also with Voicemale’s post. Djokovic being the favorite is a new kind of pressure he hasn’t actually faced before. And the reality is that Nadal is back in his beloved underdog role.

I feel like there’s really no mystery in how they will play but rather how they react. That doesn’t make any sense, I’m not really sure how to say it. Rather, the strategy for both guys will be the same but The ability to execute will be particularly interesting this time around given all of the recent history.

grand slam we already know nole is the favourite,we did not need a psychic to tell us that,and by the way the names hodge not hudge,and im perfectly chilled thanks very much,i just know bullshit when i hear it,thats all.

I read most of the posts, and there are a lot of good ideas and on spot conclusions.

But there are also common places that mean nothing.

First, the myth of the hunter… It means nothing, it is just a nice metaphor. The pressure will be the same for both. They both lose big losing, they both win big winning. The difference will be how they cope with it. It is quite subjective, in their heads, and we can know nothing about it.

Then, to say that 5 wins in a row isn’t important… It is important. It is probably the key element at the beginning of the match. Anybody who is in some form of competition knows how he feels when he has to play against somebody he owns, and how against somebody against he loses all the time.

Usually, they both play well when they are pitted one against the other, despite the pressure. In 28 matches, one of them choked maybe once. I don’t agree that Rafa played below his level in Madrid and Rome, although, in Rome, he tried a few strange things. In WB, he missed a few important shots, but to think that the battle is exclusively mental is a delusion. His problem is that Djokovic has a more complete game, a better backhand, and Rafa’s top spin suits him well. And with each single victory, the difference grow bigger: in IW Rafa lost the match, in Miami it was a close affair, then the gap became wider.

The only time Rafa beat clearly Novak on hard was last year at the USO, but Rafa was serving much better then.

If Rafa wants to win, he will have to play his best. He could have a good chance.

As for the final, i think novak will win this in less than 4 sets. I would like rafa to win, but unfortunately, he needs help from novak BIG time. maybe novak will retire and get that career retirement slam, but if he’s fit, nadal will have to rediscover his 2010 serving form just to keep this match close. If he cannot beat novak on clay/grass which are his bread and butter surfaces, how is he going to repeat that on hardcourts? a fast one at that. That said, things can change quick in the men’s game and I mean real quick. Last year this time, nadal had 3 slams in hand and was no.1 Look where things are now. So, if novak is complacent/tired/distracted or all 3 of them. rafa is sure to exploit that. Unfortunately for rafa, novak is so confident even 2 match points on the racquet of the greatest clutch server of the decade did not spurn him away. I cannot see novak losing, though it would be terrific, if rafa were to win.

How ironic is it that the extra day nadal had requested for b/w the semi-finals and final might have helped novak recuperate in time for the final after having the tougher of the semis?

hi swiss maestro thanks very much i hope so too,no matter what happens tonight i still believe both rafa,and your roger still have more grand slams left in them yet,rogers the goat,rafas one of the goats,whatever anyone says nothing will ever change that,always a pleasure talking to you.

Whatever may be the outcome tonight, Rafa has again given himself the opportunity by making three consecutive GS finals like last year on three different surfaces. May the better player win today and i hope that it is rafa.

The question also arises LOL who’s taking who’s revenge. Djoko of Nadal for defeating him last year’s US Open or Nadal of Djoko for defeating him 5 times in finals? Considering Djoko’s got less slams and doesn’t have this tournament yet, he may be more hungry but considering his impressive run and Nadal’s lesser results, Nadal may be more hungry. It’s really gonna be one heck of a match.

I’m watching the fifth set of novak and fed for about the third time. Why do i torture myself? Because there was a lot of great tennis there and tons of drama.
Tough task for rafa and novak to live up to that one!
Hope novak can cap off his phenomenal year and win USO in a few hours!

alison hodge Says:
@jamie what you actally said was that your online pyschic said that nole would win the us open,and he would face either murray or delpotro,not murray or nadal,sounds to me like your not been altogether truethfull.

________________

She said first that the finalist would be murray or delpo and that the winner would be nole.

Then she said that the finalist would be murray or nadal and that the winner would be nole.

JMac thinks rafa has something up his sleeve for this match and I do too. We will find out soon enough, but I am curious how rafa is gonna fare on his serve, he was getting broken a ton in the early matches and faced a lot of bp’s against muurray.
Uh oh, serena is loco
No non-tennis drama today, boys

@jamie as ive already said,we all new nole was the favourite,and we didnt need a pyschic to tell us that,the point is you said two different things on two different posts,nole will most likely win the us open tonight and a pyschic told you he would,wowee total shock not,as i said i know bs when i smell it.

alison hodge Says:
@jamie as ive already said,we all new nole was the favourite,and we didnt need a pyschic to tell us that,the point is you said two different things on two different posts,nole will most likely win the us open tonight and a pyschic told you he would,wowee total shock not,as i said i know bs when i smell it.

_______________

I was shocked about her Wimbledon prediction. I thought Fedal would win.

I feel more comfortable when Đoković faces Nadal than Federer, since Federer proved to be tougher the opponent for Novak than Nadal. I find this since every Novak’s victory against Nadal was easier than the previous one. First couple of their finals’ clashes were closer than their latest in Rome and Wimby. So I admit I fear Federer more than Nadal when Novak plays them. Therefore I feel more comfortably that Novak will win today than in semi against Fed. In my view, Federer is overall a better player than Nadal, because he’s more versatile. It’s just that his matchup against Nadal is tough for him, cos Nadal’s tennis doesn’t “suit” him at all. So he loses everytime to Nadal, and now Nadal loses everytime to Đoković, which put Federer in 3rd ranking spot. I don’t know why they put so that the 1st player plays the 3rd in the semis, and 2nd plays the 4th. It should be that the 1st player plays the 4th, and 2nd plays the 3rd. So the proper semis rankingwise, in my view, should have been Đoković-Murray and Nadal-Federer.

Finally he remember to go after Nadal’s BH with angle and power and it paid of. Nadal doing what he does best, putting another ball on court, even if it is shorter and shorter. Eventually, Djoko will miss a silly ball.

MAtch totally in Djoko’s hand. Nadal is not serving good enough this tourney to save him under pressure.

Kimberly, There is nothing Nadal can do with his game. HE always reverts to defense under pressure and can’t play his most aggressive style. Even against Murray in the semis he was not being aggressive.

See this last 2 points. He can’t handle Djoko’s power, and Nadal fans keep trying to imply Nadal can decide the match with his game. Agaisnt Djoko, he just can’t!

Djokovic seems to have Nadal’s game completely figured out at the time being.. Nadal is playing the same game that he played against Murray. Slicing as much as he can, defending stoutly and moonballing and making up time in rallies. Difference is the Djokovic FH. He is just killing Nadal now.. Nadal serving at 45%, but he is trying to go more for the first serve, because he is getting killed both on first and second serves!
So after a close first 3 games, Djokovic gets 5 straight games to close the first set 6-2.. This is totally one sided for the timebeing

kriket Says:
Swiss Maestro, being called stupid by the likes of you is a compliment, but I don’t know why the moderators let you be so “classy”. But again, I feel for you, I really do, after every insult.

September 12th, 2011 at 5:41 pm

_________________

Swiss Maestro is uptight because Federer is done as a slam winner. No more slams for Federer.

Nadal serving at 75% first serve. He has taken off speed totally from the first serve.. And he is winning only about 50% of his first serve points. He is winning only 25% of second serve points.. I repeat.. Unless Djokovic drops in level.. There is no way Nadal is going to win this match..

Nadal stops the bleeding with a tough tough hold.. Surely these long games must be taking a mental toll on Rafa.. Even if he breaks back, Djokovic looks like he has a chance in every Rafa’s service game to break.. Nadal keeps fighting.. Important hold coming up for Djokovic right now.. He needs to keep the foot on Rafa’s throat

How sad is this current group of players? A 30year old is the only guy to have won more than 2sets in a slam against novak and a match against a player who is having his banner year. How miserable is this generation? and we thought roddick, hewitt and safin sucked when federer had them as his b!tches. tennis seems to get worse and worse.

Maybe sampras and becker and j-mac and borg should start playing. No wonder tennis is behind drag racing in popularity.

Aravind, you are telling me this is unreal tennis from nadal? he has not played unreal tennis this year. he wouldn’t be pwned by novak like this if he played unreal tennis.

The top few in any era play well. it is the field which makes it tough/easy.

how can you have 2 of the top 4 making all 4 semis. the 3rd one making 3 finals in a row and the 4th, at age 30 making 3 semifinals and a final. and the 30year old is the only one to beat novak? that is sad.

Cindy.. This is not the best Nadal has played, but he is very very consistent and difficult to beat especially over five sets.. Djokovic is having arguably one of the best years in the history of the sport.. Nadal is a genuine top 5 all time best player and Federer is well, Federer.. It is a very rare occurrence that there are three potentially all time greats playing at the same time.. Let their level drop and the field will catch up..

What was that!!! First time Nadal tried to be aggressive in the return and Djoko smacked this ball on the running. Unbelievable level of tennis by Djoko. When people putting him against the wall, he raises his level even more.

2nd set over and out. 2-0 for Nole. Incredible. I just can’t get over that loss against Fed at the FO. This would be Novak’s chance for the year slam. Can’t have it all I guess, and I still claim that Federer is way a bigger challenge for Novak than Nadal is.

What a forehand winner! No wonder they like to put up the number 1 and number 3 in the semis. This finals match is boring! I blame fed for losing. Fed-nadal would have been great. Good night. And grats to Novak for a great 3rd set. And match. :)

Anybody here thinks Nadal will have a losing H2H against Djokovic at the end of their careers? It was 16-7 to start the year, by the looks of it it will be 16-13 after this match!

Having said that Nadal starts off with a solid hold here.. Two points that touched the lines, one ace and a lucky net chord.. Can he keep his level up on his service games? He will get chances on Djokovic’s serve

Imo it was the 2nd match point he blundered anyway. I posted earlier on the other thread about that “slap shot” claim by Fed. I watched in super slo mo and he prepared early and swung through tecnically correct. He was just a great return.

@Swiss Maestro, am a Federer fan.. Have taken some hearbreaking losses over the last few years.. I want Djokovic to win here, because he will add gap between Nadal and Federer’s records.. Am a big fan of tennis.. It is 4 am on a Tuesday morning and I am up to watch this match even though Federer lost a heartbreaker..

novak himself said he was lucky with the shot. rafa said “novak closed his eyes and took a swing”. murray said “it was a shot more out of frustration than anything”

surely all 4 are not lying or even worse ignorant about tennis?

steve tignor described it best. that is the kind of year novak is having where such shots go in. while the next shot federer went for a inside out forehand and missed it. a shot he made against tommy haas in 2009 fo when federer was down 2 sets down and 2 points from defeat. that is the year Roger is having.

ronr 2 628, you mean fed against novak surely? as i said it is all about match-ups. it is rock-paper-scissors with nadal-roger-novak.

What an aggresive play by Djokovic to get the break again.. This is amazing by Djokovic.. For all his defensive skills, I love Djokovic’s game because he is so damned aggresive.. Him along with Federer and Tsonga are the three ATP players who are super aggresive and I love all their games!

This is for the b@st@rd duro. are you blind/idiotic/ret@rded or all 3?

I am lying? CUT and paste from the article.

said Nadal. “Is not a normal serve. Is one of the best serves of the world. He returned the ball with eyes closed. ”

said Murray. “Yeah, I was watching the end of the match. He looked like he started shaking his head. It was more out of frustration than anything.

what are you laughing at, you dumbfcuk? are you sure you are not the same as jamie/kriket? how can all 3 novak fans be so stupid? this is exactly why novak fans on the forums are known as ignoramuses who know nothing about tennis. seeing dumb@$$es like duro make self goals like this, one must wonder if they know anything at all? can you not even fcuking read?

Normal service resumes.. Nadal gets tight towards the end of the set.. Suddenly one or two aggresive shots went out and he went back to his passive self.. Djokovic, please serve out the match and lemme go back to sleep.. it is 5 AM!!

We have a match now. Rafa has finally found his menacing game. He has moved up on the baseline, and decided to take huge cuts at the ball. That started happening at 2-2 in the third. Nole helped also, as seems like he needs a second wind.

Rafa cannot play defense with Nole and win. Rafa has met his match on that, His best chance is taking it to him, playing very aggressive, and its happening.

Nadal is the ultimate competitor!!!
Djoko delayed a litle bit in that 3-5 point and Nadal sensed he was going to wrong foot and stand, cannot believe he did it, pure instinct. I was yelling to Djoko go for the shot he did, because O thought Nadal would be running o the other side.

Nadal sweat his ass out to break Nole’s body. That’s why this when fit tome beber should be an excuse: It’s part of Nadal strategy to last longer than his opponents. But of course, eventually his body will break down In the process.

i hope rafa can do something to get back on track in this 4th set,this game is of such good quality,it deserves a 5th set,great tennis from both men,nole looks spent even though he is winning the match.

Are you even watching the match? He is showing problems almost for the whole 3rd set, stretching his back and serving bad, and now after the MTO everyone saying he’s faking it, do you really think he would do that for more than an hour, losing focus on that? Come on….

@Eric, he is serving way slower than his usual speed.. All first sreves this set are around 100 mph.. he can serve 10-15 mph faster on average.. He is just amping up his groundstrokes.. He had an MTO for back, somehow his groundstrokes are not affected as much

And what a domination, what a nightmare for Nadal for as much as he is a nightmare for every other player, he’s clueless against Novak. That’s why I said once to someone, I’d like to see Nadal on the other side of Novak on as much tournament finals as possible, cos he’s the easiest challenge for Novak, way easier than Federer, and maybe even Murray!

The amount of running Nadal did, he has to be hurting. Djokovic’s time out: iffy time to take the break. I don’t think anyone would resort to spinning all their serves in after dropping a set in a slam final like that, so surely something was up. But he took some medication and I’m sure with the adrenaline, he just let it fly.

I’m really surprised Nadal lost his concentration like that, though. He went back to playing like an idiot. Perhaps the extended break got him out of his rhythm. I’d say probably.

It’s a gray area for sure. But Djokovic really should’ve closed it out in the third set. Nadal is an unreal warrior. I never found myself so frustrated with him like in those first 2 sets. He was making so many tactical errors and he finally got his head together in the third set. Still, after a brilliant set, definitely a let down with that 4th set.

Congratulations Djokovic. Commiserations to Nadal fans because I think he could’ve played so much better and it’s a shame he sort of let himself get unraveled in the first and second set like that.

Djokovic how sad you are as a Tennis player to fake an injury. What sugar pill and a massage makes it all better to delay the game. You are an insult to the game. You should be ashamed of yourself, instead of playing like a man. We play little boy “oh I am hurt”!!!!!

Ronr, his main problem is his serve, the groundstrokes are just fine, but it’s the serve that suffer, since he had problems with his lower back, and that’s much more of a problem for the serve. I mean he was really serving bad in the 3rd and in the 4th also. Do you think he would do that on purpose? Doesn’t make any sense, at least to me. And I don’t believe he would do all that stretching for most of the 3rd set, do you think he was doing it to prepare all of us for the MTO. I don’t think so. It would be ok to complain to the MTO if it was all of a sudden, but it wasn’t.

Guys, the guy that stood between Novak and the calendar year grand slam this year was Federer.. Let us not be too harsh on him.. He is up against a guy in the peak of his health fitness and one of the most incredible athletes this sport has ever seen..

Let us enjoy this sport.. It is unlikely we’ll see something like this in our lifetimes again..

Congrats to Novak Djokovic! STUPENDOUS SEASON.
thought rafa would have something to.get him this time, but nope.
Guys, please, WHAT HAPPENED TO NADAL SERVE FROM LAST YEAR?!?! did he lose it on the plane on the way home, or what?
Iffy timing on that MTO, but novak was CLEARLY hurt and nobody should be surprised of that if you saw how physical this match was.
Take care of them sun spots novak!
Cheers to rafa too, gave a great fight and entertaining match.

Since we are at it, congrats to Fed also. He showed that even at age 30 he is still playing some sublime tennis and I’m glad that we had one great semifinal and a very good final. After all, this US Open was a good one, at least for me.

JF Says:
For all the nadal haters for accusing of fake Medical Timeouts, whats going on now huh lol
———————————————–

I guess you didn’t watch the rest of the 4th set. Djoko’s 1st serve was maxing out at only 100 mph. If he came out after the MTO and started hitting 125-130 mph bombs then you would have a point.

If Rafa came out of his MTO’s limping around the court and not chasing down as many balls then people wouldn’t have a right to cry fowl, but if his play is unaffected then something is fishy when it repeatedly happens.

The Fed Nole’s match the ball has speend and pace. Today all balls were 3 feet up the net. The gane seems In slow motion. But even so, amazing points. But the “awe” effect from some insana rallies of the Fedovic are just, different!

I can’t believe after such a match, people are still bickering over their favorites. Neither of them fakes an injury. Novak’s back was hurting, it was obvious from the way his serve was affected. Luckily, his groundstrokes weren’t and he kept them short. Nadal also was EXHAUSTED in the 4th set. You have to understand these are champions who have mutual respect for one another and they are human after all.

Fabulous tennis for 3 breathtaking sets. Major congratulations to Nole and his loyal fans, especially jane, nina and also i am it who I see is back.Garden looking very Autumnal btw :)
What a fabulous, stunning year Nole’s having!
Commiserations to Kimberly, alison and all Rafa fans. Murray maniacs truly feel your pain.

Congrats to djokovic’s GENUINE fans- qualifying criteria: those who supported him last year- such as jane et al. Well deserved win for nole,the undisputed best this year. As for rafa, really proud of his fight today. He won his 1st tough set against nole this year, returned really well on nole’s serve. Hopefully this off season he shall work on his game and come back hard next year.

Who are the losers today? No, not quite Nadal and his uncle. Who are the real losers today? They are the jealous Federer cultists. They are hiding underneath some very big boulders because they can’t decide who they want to win. Support Djokovic and he has the best year in tennis surpassing even Federer’s peak year. Support Nadal and he will threaten their refrain SIXTEEN.

like i said, some fake injury. you can interpret that any which way you want.

everybody knows it was fake but i bet you won’t hear not one expert, commentator, fan say a word about it. had that been nadal, you and everybody else would have been spitting fire about how he cheated to increase his chances. so spare me your logic. novak knows it too, he couldn’t even look at nadal.

why aren’t you discussing how obviously fake novak’s injury was like you are so quick to do when it’s nadal. i’m waiting to hear what you guys have to say about that.

Just home from work, was going to watch and not check scores but there was noooo way I could wait. When I left I checked on the computer and Rafa had just won the third, and when I got home Nole had won the match. Am going to start watching now.

Congratulations Nole!! What a fabulous year, now take a little time to relax!

Way to go Rafa, another final, always at the business end of things, a fighter. Commiserations to Rafa fans. Kimberly, you didn’t go to the beach did you? ;) He will be back, and, well, 10 slams at 25 is astounding anyhow!

As for the Canadian party, let’s wait and see if Nole ever wins a FO and completes the set. ;)

Dory, I loved your post at 8:43 but then I have become a boring pacifist in my dotage.

Must go watch the tape now, cheers & huge shout out to all of Nole’s fans here. We are spoiled this year!

What a victory for Djokovic and what a season! This was a fantastic final. Tough loss for Fed in the semi, but what a match Nole and Rafa put on. I was really scared for Djoko for a while, but he just held on and Rafa lost his focus (and started feeling the fatigue himself) and took that 4th set. Over 4 hours for the 4 sets, incredible!

4 Grand Slams for Djoko now compared to 1 at the start season, he’s a whole different category of player now. Quite an exciting top 3 we got going. Hope Murray can join the party next season! Anyway, major congratulations to Novak, this is the perfect way to add to an already quasi-perfect season. Looking forward to the WTF…

simba Says:
Who are the losers today? No, not quite Nadal and his uncle. Who are the real losers today? They are the jealous Federer cultists.
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You can say the same thing about Nadal fans. Most(not all) hate Fed and love when he loses, but then have to hope he is on the same side of the draw as Djoko so he can take him out.

mem, you can cry your heart out spewing fake injury accusations on Djokovic. That is purely conjecture on your part and what a mean, nasty, biased conjecture it is. The fact of the matter is Djokovic won and that makes your heart bleed out all the bitter bile that fills drowns it.

mem, a word of advice, take it like a man and stop whining. It wasn’t even that close a match that you would start whining about this and that. 4th set 6-1. Hope to see your fav again opposite to Djoker in the tournament finals, for Djoker’s sake, for Nadal’s too clueless to win, even though he’s a great fighter and athlete. MTO or no MTO, he’s losing time and again. Get over it!

Kimmi, I’ve been pointing out Djokovic’s spots to my friends for the past two weeks. They’re everywhere, arms, neck, chest, probably back. Those are from sun burn, right? Maybe he should use a little sun block.

again, federer and andy roddick both called out novak on his injury time-outs [federer in a davis cup match and roddick in 2008 USopen]. nadal/ his fans never uttered a peep during that time. some americans even supported novak during that episode in 2008 against what roddick/robredo said.

whose fault is it that it has now come back to bite rafa himself? Karma is a b!tch.

suck this up like rafa did and roger did in the french open because the atp will do absolutely nothing about this or the time violations [ i am glad both players were given those today. it was getting ridiculous with all these rituals out there]

all in all, if rafa thinks this was a fake injury time out, he should say so in the press. if he aint talking dont come expecting fed fans to show support. fed has spoken about this 4 years back. i am sure he will back up rafa if rafa picks up this issue.

The thing is, would it have been fun to see Djokovic fall a part physically and lose this match because of his aching back?

And I would love for someone to explain why Djokovic was only hitting kick serves in the 4th set. His fastest serve was, I believe, 112mph, which he hit only once. The rest were around 100mph +/- 5.

Which actually brings me to Nadal and how he should be really pissed at himself for allowing Djokovic to hold so easily in that last set. Nadal was way too defensive on returns. He should’ve taken a page from Djokovic’s book and just started smacking returns back instead of slicing them. Especially when he was already down a break, what’s the worse that could happen?

simba is a raf@tard. let him be. he is only slightly better than jamie/duro/kriket.

simba : even at 30years, roger federer is the only guy to have won even 2 sets against the best player of this year. even federer has not lost 6 times in a row to rafa. [sorry alison and kimberly] but this guys is a real piece of cr@p. i feel even sorry i have to use cindy’s post of all [even a broken clock is right twice a day, so WTF!]

save it! novak had nothing in the tank to begin the 4th and everyone watching knows it so he faked an injury to rest and came out blasting the ball as before. so what kind of muscle injury allows him to that. nadal had momentum going into the 4th. at least, he would have had every opportunity to take it to a 5th. so you can call me anything you want, but truth is he was obviously faking to get ahead because he didn’t want to take it to a 5th. you can call it conjecture or whatever, but we all saw it. i wonder what you would have called it had it been nadal. second thought, i know what you would have called it.

as far as i’m concerned, it’s done! we all saw what happened. great effort from nadal!

And I would love for someone to explain why Djokovic was only hitting kick serves in the 4th set. His fastest serve was, I believe, 112mph, which he hit only once. The rest were around 100mph +/- 5.
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They weren’t even kick serves because you can’t hit a 100 mph kick serve except maybe Roddick. Hitting a kick serve puts more stress on the back than a flat serve. I would describe Djoko’s 1st serve in the 4th set as a low effort 1st serve. some were flat and some had slice when he hit it out wide in the deuce court or up the middle in the ad court. It looked like the serves you see in warm up where the players just throw it up and take a casual swing.

Ben, have you ever lost a match? Especially to the same person repeatedly that you know you are as good or better than? Well I have (although not quite 6 times) and I can tell you it sucks. It takes days for me to get over. And thats my hobby not my job. So thats how Rafa must feel and as his fan thats how I feel.

Most players hit their kick serves around the 100 mph range. A kick serve doesn’t have to be inherently slow.

And while some players bend their backs far to kick it, there is a way to kick it without obnoxious back bend. It depends on how his back was hurting. A flat serve, one that is meant to be hit with a lot of power, can be extremely painful to the force exerted. Even with a back bend, there isn’t as much force going into the kick so it might not hurt as much.

I really wanna know more about Djokovic’s injury. Federer is another guy who has had back problems in the past, I wonder if they’re similar.

SM—im not saying nadal never did it, im simply saying the rashing of sh-t that would have resulted if it WAS nadal is not here, especially from the people that normally go nuts. Its clear the objection is to Nadal not the action, because when other players do it (expecially ones beating nadal) it is acceptable

Exclusive Rafa and Fed fans seem to be completely pissed off by Djokovic’s third major and are trolling out in full swing on this blog. GO TO HELL YOU HATERS. Even the players you love and support don’t hate their compatriots as you. You were born to hate.

Congrats to all Novak fans (including me). Amazing that if it would not have been for the great Fed, Novak would have had a CYGS.

This raises my hopes very realistically that Fed WILL win AT LEAST one major next year.

Kimberley, Federer was understandably pissed off after saturday’s match. Nadal is understandably pissed or upset or whatever he is after today. But I’m not talking about the players, I’m talking about the fans. I really think that 95% of the time, in sports, fans care way more than the players themselves.

Nadal fans…you have much to be proud of. He never gave up, kept on coming. Unfortunately Djokovic is playing tennis from another planet. But so was Nadal in 2009 and so was Federer for a few years before that. Sport is a great leveler. But I fully expect Nadal and Federer to amp up next year. That’s what champions are made of.

It’s a privilege to see tennis like how it’s been since 2003! I don’t know much about tennis history prior to the 90s…but this top 3 has to be the best ever, men or women. Period.

Mem, I’ll ask once again, why is this injury fake? What you want to say is that he was stretching his back for most of the 3rd set just for fun? That he was serving at 100mph cause he is so confident he will win. Why would he serve that bad on purpose, if he could close it out in 3 sets? Your logic is way beyond any common sense, and I really hate saying these kinds of things to people that I don’t know.

Kimmi, Haha, funny to be talking about novak skin after thia big matxh, but it caught my eye too. Never heard of, seen, or gotten sunspots before? Just one of the things that may show up if you’re in the sun too much. He needs some sunscreen, his are pretty bad.
We can talk about MTo all day and all night, but really we should be looking about rafa return once Djokovic serve went down with the back. Im happy novak won of course, but i am a little surprised/ disappointed with serve and return of rafa over all. Some great fight from him, but what about the rest?
So much effort to get through the last two matches for novak, can’t imagine how he will do davis cup.

As I said earlier, this injury time out abuse was brought out earlier by federer and a-rod and i guess it was robredo who said he doesn’t trust novak’s MTOs. i dont know who ben supported then, he was posting as sensational safin. and there were a lot of djokovic fans that attacked federer and roddick fans. jane might remember this.

so be assured novak and his abuse of MTOs is well known. I hope rafa says something about it and the atp comes up with a better MTO rule which does not get so abused. while they are at it they can decide something about time violations too. and maybe on court coaching too? any other issues?

I think a lot of Djoko fans, like their favorite, are in an uncharted territory: The win-loss ratio is insane. It feels awkward to be on the side of the most dominant player of the year, even if you were trained with the likes of Federer, Sampras, Laver.

dari – never really, could be because my skin is dark..dont get too much of a sun burn. Anyway, if that is what it is then no worries from me. he should use a good sun screen coz they play out on a hot hot sun a lot.

I don’t remember who I supported in the past but Djokovic definitely used the MTO rule to his advantage. It wasn’t rule breaking, but simple abuse. He just takes advantage of it, or did anyway.

The ATP trainer told the commentators what the injury was, so did Djokovic tell the trainer what to say? Why would the trainer lie?

I agree with the commentators that it was unfair that he could take the time out before Nadal’s serve, but I don’t think he did it on purpose. He thought he would be ok, but then he served and his back was obviously flaring up. Does no one remember the one serve he missed into the bottom of the net and just paused and grimaced?

In 06, Federer was annoyed that Djokovic was basically getting leg massages and then running around like a rabbit. Same complaint Robredo had. But today, it’s not like Djokovic got the back massage and then came out hitting 125-130mph serves. His serve speed was obviously hampered, it’s simply fact.

Blank, right on. Really gotta credit Federer on this, too. He basically came out and said you gotta dominate to be the best. So after him, Nadal was virtually unbeatable. And now we have Novak. 2012 should be interesting, but there are still 3 big events to be played. Let’s see what happens.

I thought the first set was incredibly high-level tennis, but after that it seemed quite spotty, lots of bad shots and lots of safe shots. In particular, Novak seemed nervous at the end of the third set, really playing it safe. Rafa just seemed to have given up in the 4th set. I find it amazing that such a competitor wasn’t going for more, and have to imagine Novak has gotten into his head.
All in all, Novak seemed in control from start to finish. It seemed Rafa was being pulled all over the baseline (well, ten feet BEHIND it) and had to pull off extraordinary shots to gain any traction. In a way, similar to Rafa/Fed with the roles reveres: you would feel like Rafa was in complete control of the rallies but Fed could make enough winners to stay close. So Rafa did, from time to time, but I never felt like he could keep it up.
Novak definitely has Rafa’s number this year, but I am quite sure Rafa will be doing a LOT of study and work on this.
Fed is right in the mix. Obviously there was very little separation between Fed and Novak at the USO this year.The difference is, Novak played that good at every single tournament, Fed only held that World Class Form for patches of the Slams.
The idea that Novak now has “too many points to defend” is nonsense. he doesn’t have to defend points, he is not competing against 2011 Novak, he will be competing against 2012 Rafa and others. All he has to do is be better than them, and he will remain #1.
I worry that his style is going to be hard on his body, as it has been for Rafa. He has to do an AWFUL lot of running to win his matches, and he covered a lot of miles this year. Can he keep it up? Time will tell.
Novak was THE story of tennis this year, and to me at least, that was a completely unexpected one as of Jan 1. Perhaps next year will suprise as well. In the meantime, we have a few months of anti-climactic tennis (usually Nole’s best time of year!) to enjoy.
Congrats Novak and his fans, congrats Rafa for making 3 straight GS finals as well.

I just don’t get the conspiracy theories. Why do all the fans constantly think that the favorites’ opponent are scheming and hatching evil cunning plans to defeat their opponents? For the players they don’t support, very few here believe the truth that these champions aren’t so shrewd and tactical, certainly not at the level they are playing, how do you know they are abusing the MTO system and all that crap? Making baseless accusations just because your favorite did not win.

Totally agree with your post 9:04. Have Mentioned this time and time again.

In the end, its the officials fault. Time to be consistent and enforce the rules that are there. Time between serves, changeovers, MTO’s , coaching, etc. Rules are rules but the ATP is butt scared of having to default a player or be accused of the reason a player lost a match. Umps have no ba@lls. If the rules are sh1tty, then change them. But c’mon there is a reason you make players play by the rules. Its called “fair play”.

Djoko was using MTOs to his advantage in the past, and sometimes I felt it’s more mental with him that it is real. But not so anymore. But there are still moments which remind me of old Nole. Sometimes in a match he seems slow and fatigued, but it comes from his head, and then something clicks and the body language changes and he is moving better and hitting better. But today, I am sure this was no fluke. It’s nothing serious, I mean it’s not an injury which takes time to heal, and we shouldn’t be alarmed, but the match was grueling and no wonder there were consequences.

Watching the US open between Djokovic and Nadal has they both fought and covered every squared inch on the Arthur Ashe tennis court during a brutal 4 hour match with Djokovic winning his first US open I could not help think of the Ali- Frasier boxing fights of the 1970s. Both claimed it was the nearest thing to death. Although these tennis players did not absorb the physical blows to the body and head one could see under the flood light that both were suffering severe stress and exhaustion to their health. Nadal in the 4th set was a spent force and surely his years of pounding the courts seemed to have caught up with him as Djokovic although himself physically spent was able to run away with the set and the match. This modern game with the techno strings in the racket that can add extra spin and power has turned the game into a war of attrition. The rallies averaged 7 shots a point. I cannot see both players continuing to play at such an high tempo in the future as they age. Heck, Federer could even outlast them because of his effortless playing style. There could well be a price to pay by one of them and my guess is Nadal. He was done in that 4th set. His reserves depleted. How frustrated must be Federer after his lost to Djokovic in the semi final and those 2 match points. Brutality ruled today and the body suffered. Once a body is damaged, it may never recover to it former glory. These modern era players play with that risk.

holy fcuk! now Novak is a GOAT too? Cindy you are as pathetic and miserable as jamie/duro/mila. Do you guys know anything about tennis history at all? Did you just start watching tennis since 2007?

I thought it was ridiculous what raf@tards like simba were doing saying nadal is GOAT. this is another level of stupidity all together.

ben, do you really believe novak’s fitness has improved entirely due to the gluten allergy treatment alone? has there been a history of a guy going from low fitness levels to such levels? I mean he even had some pollen allergy just last summer. yes?

I mean he outlasted rafa after a 5 setter over Fed. that takes humongous fitness right? is there anything that can be replicated here?

Me thinks this is not an issue, as per se, for Novak. Novak is lean and flexible, really an ideal tennis physique. Rafa has a great bod, i am sure the ladies agree, but it is too much muscle, and his flexiblity is not there compared to a Nole or Fed.

That said, he does imo over extend his body on shots and is asking for it. But alas i don’t have a young guys bod anymore, so who knows?

Respect to you for being honest as a novak fan. No novak fan other than Jane is really honest about these time violations/ injury time outs of novak in the past.

Congrats to you on Novak’s win. He is having a crazy good year. Might end up as the 2nd best year slams/WTF wise and maybe the best year winning % wise. (does johnny mac have this one? or roger?) anyone have some info?

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has become just the sixth man to win three tennis Grand Slam singles titles in the same year, defeating world No. 2 Rafael Nadal in four sets at the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows.

Djokovic, who took the No. 1 ranking from Nadal earlier this year, won 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 in a raucous, fiery match that lasted more than four hours.

Djokovic, 24, has enjoyed one of the sport’s finest individual seasons, compiling a 64-2 record and collecting 10 titles in 2011. His two other Grand Slam titles this year were the Australian Open, where he beat Andy Murray, and Wimbledon, where he defeated Nadal.

SM, Nadal beat Federer in 5 after a ridiculous 5 setter against Verdasco, remember? And Federer was definitely the fresher of the two.

Nadal’s match against Murray was only 30 minutes shorter than the Djokovic-Federer match. And Nadal played after. So physically, I don’t see the problem.

Do I believe that the gluten-free diet is the key to his success? No. I’ve mentioned several times exactly what is rotten in the sport of tennis. And Djokovic is no exception.

However, I think Djokovic’s lack of fitness has been greatly exaggerated. His 5 set record has always been very good. Remember he did play two 5 setters last year to reach the final and he didn’t run out of gas until the 4th set, similar to Nadal today, actually. Plus, how bad could his fitness really have been if he was able to play Nadal for 4+ hours on clay in Madrid.

Maybe he did have the pollen allergy last year, but that’s not impossible to fix. Some good medication. But I’m not entirely sure. Point is, either he’s lying about how little he’s used his egg, or the conspiracy theories continue. Or both.

All trash talkin aside i thought Rafa found some ways to beat Novak in the future. When he stopped playing defensively, speciffically 2-2 in the 3rd, he looked good, real good. Why did he wait until then? My imo, his cupcake draw. Rafa can beat most everyone hanging way back and hitting his big topspin, and he started out the match the same way. Which was the problem. However, when he got desperate, knowing he was on a losing path, he hung close to the baseline , and took bigger cuts at the ball at started dictating. Why didn’t it continue? Confidence, part Novak, and it was a physical match, he showed some tiredness there. But he fought hard, wanted to win, it was evident, and if he looks at the replays he’ll see some good stuff there he hasn’t seen in 5 attempts at the #1.

I’ll be honest. After the third I really thought Rafa might pull it off. Then it all shattered :( But for some reason maybe what you said, I leave this match with a much more positive vibe then WImbeldon, Rome, and Madrid. IW wells i didn’t know to care, and Miami I thought was a good match.

And of course the Dolphins are losing. And FSU is playing Oklahoma on Sat, the number one team. UGHHHH!!!!! And the Marlins are in last place. Right now Rafa is positively shining compared to the rest of my teams/favs (sharapova 3rd rnd).

Need the NBA to figure their sh-t out so the Heat can win the championship.

i dont think djokovic will beat the record, especially considering the year end tour tournament thingy and having to play top 8 players 5 times; he’ll probably be too physically spent by that point.

Regardless, this is an absolutely ridiculous year. Ten title, three slam finals, one of the two losses was due to injury. Defeated previous number one six freaking times in the finals. If I were him I’d take it easy for a bit and go for the grand slam next year.

Unless Nadal rediscovers his serve/mojo against djokovic, i don’t see his chances increasing, and federer is only going to continue his slow but gradual decline (let’s not forget djokovic beat him in three convincing sets in ao… i’d give djokovic 6-4 edge if they played each other ten times in slams), and there has yet to been another person to step up to be that consistent challenge to djokovic in slams. Maybe Tsonga gets it together? Del Potro gets back to what he was doing? It looks good for Djokovic right now.

Thanks kimberly for the presser. Also skeezerweezer for his kind words. After some thought I think this was positive for both. Nole, 2 SF, 2 RU he deserved to win the USO. It was only a matter of time, and the form he’s in this year one always felt it shall be this year. Then when he beats roger 2 MP down then you know it is a sealed deal. As for rafa this match was much better than wimby on a possibly the worst GS surface for him against nole. There are some positives for him in this match and with time it shall come together for him.

Thanks for your congratulations. Rafael is one classy guy, one of the purest personalities in tennis of all times. What a fighting spirit he showed!!!

If it is any comfort to you, on Wednesday in South Beach at Salsa Mía there will be about 20 of us Novak fans celebrating, starting some time after 11 pm. You’re welcome to join and dance and drink with us…

Thanks for the invite! You guys have a lot to celebrate. Are you from Serbia? I have a few Serbian friends down here who r quite excited. I have a match Thursday morning though and then clients all day and two kids so I doubt I will make it but very much appreciate the offer. My husband is half croatian and despite all that has gone on between the countries he is very supportive of all Serbian players. Again Congrats to your guy and thanks for the nice words about rafa. After that press conference he certainly deserves it. Few could show such composure. I know I couldn’t .

I think after all the hurt feelings and joyous triumphs settle down, we will hopefully look back at USO and say, yeah, any of top 4 can win any slam still, how cool is that? Why can’t we all embrace that? Rafa is consistently in finals now, always one match away seemingly from a title, and Novak, just a while ago was #3, and now a solid #1, is the guy to beat, the top dog, and now, the hunted. Fed still is competing well and, is a real wild card now, always extremely dangerous to beat and win anything. He is the hunter now. And Andy has proven he can beat any of the top 3, a Slam is just a hang nail away. They all can still beat each other, and you always know its going to be a good battle. I mean how sweet is tennis right now? Can hardly wait already for AO 12.

I believe Novak is taxing his body just like Rafa did in his best years. I doubt he can last for more than 2 years if he plays like this. He needs to develop a transition game ASAP. Look at his condition post Wimbledon. Though he is more offensive than Nadal, but still he taxes his body more compared to Roger.

It’s better he takes the rest of the year easy rather than going for a full swing.

Skeezer, since the French open I have had to watch the heat lose in the finals, rafa lose two finals, sharapova lose one final, and these are the best of my teams. A bunch of bridesmaids!

I guess it’s better than the dolphins who have a .500 season at best in front of them, the marlins who are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and working hard to secure a stranglehold on last place.

So yes, I am slightly bitter. Rafa is the most consistent fav I have and he is not getting it done. But yes tennis is in a good place, at least on the mens tour and I must admit my interest I’m the WTA has increased dramatically and I have really enjoyed it this year, probably due to Maria resurgence. But with four different slam winners it has been exciting.

I probably should put this on the other thread but saw the replay of serenas outburst and as much as I admire her game and ability to hold serve, that is unacceptable . the should impose serious consequences for that.

Hey i have to deal with the slumping SF Giants, hearing how they were lucky last year, the bridemaids SJ Sharks, who always compete but never ever get to the real deal, the lowly Raiders and the “live in the past” Niners, so yeah, i feel your pain. :(

And then there is Fed,who plays at times God like but then gets joked for shankopotomous losses.

“eric, skeeze, i love you guys but im over that the federer/djoko match was really the final. Nadal made the final. period, the end.”

I rescind the statement after seeing the final…(Well some of it anyway)

And Rafa’s presser is SO classy. “So, you know, it’s smart accept the loses with the same calm as the victories, and keep working without thinking on the past. ” Wise words. (Too bad Roger doesn’t have his poise.)

Welll statswise they were very close. Nole won 161 points to Fed’s 143 points and hit 48 winners to Fed’s 49 winners, whereas he hit 35 errors to Fed’s 59. Stats aside, while Fed had the match on his racquet, Nole swung out on one return but then returned that great body serve to draw deuce. Both played exceptional tennis, imo. Fed had the match on his racquet, which had to hurt, but Nole was at only 4-5 after breaking back. Still had to serve to stay in the match..

Yes Wheeler, Nadal in the fourth set was a spent force. Have all you stupid Djokstrap fans forgotten that Nadal played 3 consecutive days and have u forgotten The eggy djokstrap enjoyed 2 retirements against him??????? And that he came Into the final with a couple of days off while Nadal was still playing!!!! He is a cheat and did not deserve the win!!! What about his untimely mto!! You guys would have raised the roof if Nadal had done that. Hope he has a lousy lousy 2012. Amen.

It seems almost impossible for Murray to win a major while the top three are still at the top of the game. That would probably true for the next 1-2 years then Federer would be less of a contender. By that time though, Murray will be older, Djokovic and Nadal will be better and some new guy may surface. So, Murray’s major future seems rather bleak. There is something really suspect about his mental game, something which you cannnot fault the first three.